[0:00] Which is on page 228. 228, thank you. Joshua 13 When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the Lord said to him, You are very old and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.
[0:19] This is the land that remains all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites from the Shehor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north.
[0:31] All of it counted as Canaanite, the territory of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron, that of the Avites.
[0:42] From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Ara of the Sidonians as far as Aphek, the region of the Amorites, the area of the Gabalites and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal, Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo, Hamath.
[1:00] As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrafoth, Maim, that is all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites.
[1:11] Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you, and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh.
[1:23] The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites, had received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the Lord, had assigned it to them.
[1:35] We have Joshua chapter 14, verses 6 through 15. Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, said to him, You know what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God at Kadesh Barnea, about you and me?
[1:57] I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land, and I brought him back a report according to my convictions. But my brothers, who went up with me, made the hearts of the people melt with fear.
[2:10] I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, The land on which your feet have walked will be with your inheritance, and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.
[2:24] Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old.
[2:35] I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out. I am just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there, and their cities were large and fortified, but the Lord, helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.
[2:55] Then Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb, son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.
[3:09] Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites. Then the land had rest from war. Thanks very much. I think they deserve a prize for getting through half of those names anyway.
[3:27] Nightmare. Well, what are all those names all about? That's what we're going to find out. So let's talk to God and pray, and ask for His help as we get stuck into this.
[3:39] Let's pray together. Our Father God, we thank You again for Your Word.
[3:52] We thank You that it is trustworthy and true. We thank You that these words are not just words written by humans, but they originate with You.
[4:09] They are Your words that You have caused people to write. And so as we read and as we listen, we are hearing God's story, His message to us today.
[4:24] And so we pray that You would make Your Word applicable to us. Make it relevant. Speak it deep into our lives so that it changes us and helps us to see the wonderful inheritance that is ours.
[4:43] We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I want to start this morning by asking us all two questions.
[4:55] The first question is this. What would you like to be doing in five years' time? Or to put it another way, what are your dreams for the future?
[5:10] Just think about that for a minute. What would you like to be doing in five years' time? Well, if you are of school or college age, you will most likely be finished your studies.
[5:24] And so maybe you see yourself settled into a good, well-paid job, possibly living in a different country. Perhaps you'll even be married, have a beautiful home, and have a couple of children.
[5:38] Who knows in five years' time? Well, if you're in the midlife range, you might see yourself as living comfortably. Kids have kind of grown up a little bit, so you have a little bit more time.
[5:52] Maybe you see yourself in a bigger home, finally enjoying some of life's little treats. If you're in the next stage, perhaps you will be retired, or you're nearing retirement.
[6:07] Your health is good, and so you plan to travel a bit, see the world, visit family, spend time with the grandchildren, spend all your hard-earned savings. What is it that you dream about?
[6:22] What would you like to be doing in five years' time or ten years' time? Now, with those thoughts in mind, here's the second question.
[6:34] How certain are you that those things are going to happen? How confident are you that your dreams and plans will actually become a reality?
[6:49] You see, we live in a world of uncertainty, where dreams of healthy retirement are interrupted by the news of a terminal illness, where dreams of enjoying life with kids are broken by redundancy or debt, where dreams of getting married and having a good job remain dreams because of spectacular personal failure.
[7:14] The world that we live in today is broken, and we're broken, and because of that, there is nothing certain. One comedian quipped that the only thing that we are certain of is paying taxes and dying.
[7:32] In fact, the rise of the insurance industry proves that we can't be certain. It's so bad now that we take out insurance on top of insurance because we live each day with the reality that something is going to go wrong, and we need to be sure of that, to be covered.
[7:50] Nothing is certain. Nothing is guaranteed in this world. However, in Joshua, all of that is reversed because here we're introduced to a God who speaks certainty into an uncertain world, a God who gives promises and completes the promises.
[8:12] In Joshua, we've been meeting a God who gives confidence that He will do for His people everything He said He will do, no matter what or who they come up against.
[8:26] So whether it's a flooded River Jordan, not a problem. Whether it's the fierce armies of Jericho, no hindrance, whether it's the failure of Joshua's people, nothing can stop what God has said He will do.
[8:45] There's a confidence and a certainty with the promises of God. And in Joshua chapters 13 and 14, it's all about our future inheritance and how we can be confidently certain we will receive it.
[9:06] So first, our inheritance that's been promised. Let's get into these chapters 13 and 14. Geographically speaking, Israel have crossed over the Jordan River.
[9:21] They had defeated the Amorites. They had destroyed Jericho. They've broken through the main line of defense. And in many ways, the hard work has been done. The big battles have been fought.
[9:33] But they're not yet settled in the promised land. A lot has been done, but there's a lot more to do. So chapter 13, verse 1. When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the Lord said to him, Joshua, you are very old and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.
[9:55] This is the land that remains. And then he starts listing it all out. In fact, you can see it there on the map. The little blue arrows there show that Israel have crossed over the Jordan River.
[10:07] And then as they move west, south and in the central lands and up north, these are all the lands to be taken. So in the south, verse 2, we read about the Philistines who are there and the five big cities where their rulers are in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Gath and Ekron.
[10:30] Way down in the south, the land still to be taken. And then as they move up into the center lands in verse 4, there's the Canaanites. And then as they move up from there up into the north, all the way up as far as Mount Hermon, all those lands still to be taken.
[10:50] You see, there's a lot of land there, but with it, there are still a lot of enemies. Each region and each city is fortified with their own armies.
[11:02] Every town and place poses a threat to Israel, to God's people. Each one is strong enough to defeat them. And it seems an insurmountable task.
[11:15] They've only crossed the little river. They've only overtaken Jericho. But it's like there's a hundred other Jerichos still to take. And added to that, look back at verse 1.
[11:25] Joshua, we told, was very old and well advanced in years. He's got a zimmer frame out. And in case poor Joshua has forgotten and he thinks he's still a bit lively, God reminds him, Joshua, you're very old.
[11:45] You need to put your slippers on, mate. It's quite clear Joshua is past the age of fighting and leading his people into battle. So we're left wondering, will they ever get to settle in the land that God has promised them?
[12:02] Well, as we work through this, we must remember that it is God who made the promise and therefore it is His responsibility to make sure that the promise is kept.
[12:13] So look at verse 6. He says, as for all the inhabitants of these mountainous regions, from Lebanon to Mithra, from Maim, that is all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites.
[12:31] So God is saying to Joshua and his people, I promised you an inheritance, so it is my responsibility to make sure that you get it and to make sure that you will get it.
[12:42] Look at the end of verse 6. I myself will drive them out before you. I'm going to fight for you. In fact, rehearsing this list of lands in 2 to 5 is not meant to strike fear into the heart of the people, but to build confidence, reminding them of actually what is theirs, what God has already promised them.
[13:09] So look at the end of verse 6. He's so sure, so certain, that he says, be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance as I have instructed you, and divide it out as an inheritance among the nine tribes and a half of the tribe of Manasseh.
[13:27] The lands that lay before you are not dreams and wishful thinking that you hope to someday get. This is your inheritance.
[13:37] You see, it seems like that in the face of challenges and obstacles and opposition, God's people constantly need to be reminded of what God has promised and what God has promised he will always do.
[13:59] It's so easy to look at what's before us and begin to shake and quiver in our own boots and seem, this is insurmountable. How are we going to get there? How are we going to do it?
[14:12] But God would have us listen to his promise. In fact, this side of the cross where we stand in the whole redemptive story of God, he would have us look to, not to Joshua and all the battles they would fight, but he would have us look to the ultimate warrior, Jesus Christ, the ultimate battle that Christ has fought for us.
[14:37] The battle he fought for us on the cross where he drove back the greatest enemy, Satan, where he has defeated him, where on the cross he destroyed his plan, he disarmed him by his victory on the cross.
[14:55] And because he has defeated him, he would have us look at the ultimate inheritance, not the physical lands, that's all gone. But the promised rest, the eternal rest, the land of the new creation, paradise itself.
[15:12] And he says, that is guaranteed for you, that is yours because I have gone ahead of you and fought the battle for you. I have defeated your enemies so that you can go and receive that promised inheritance because of what Christ has done.
[15:33] That inheritance promised to his people. But then, inheritance assured. For the rest of chapter 13, all the way through to chapter 21, we have this very detailed description of what tribe of Israel is going to get what piece of land and region.
[15:57] We're told that two of the tribes, the Reubenites and the Gadites, they were going to settle east of the Jordan along with half of a tribe of Manasseh. Then the other nine and a half tribes would settle west of the Jordan, making up 12 altogether.
[16:14] Now this intricate detail, it seems quite of a bore to us, all these lists of names. Look at verse 16, for example, as he starts listing out what's going to happen. He talks about the territory from Eror of the rim of the Arnon Gorge and from the town in the middle of the gorge and the whole plateau past Miba.
[16:36] And then verse 25, there's the territory speaking to the Gadites. You've got the territory of Jazar and all the towns of Gilead and the half of the Ammonite country as far as Eror and Rabba.
[16:49] And then speaking to the half tribe of Manasseh, verse 30, he says, your territory will extend from Manahem and including all of Bashan, the entire realm of Og, king of Bashan.
[17:00] And that's just chapter 13. On and on it goes for eight chapters. Endless list of names that I can't even pronounce. That's why I'm not reading it all.
[17:12] Boundaries and borders one after the other. And it only seems that the county planner officer understands what's going on here. It's a hard old read and it's more like an endurance exercise to try and get through it.
[17:26] But we must remember that as we begin to read and flick over the pages one by one, it's like reading your own name in the family inheritance.
[17:38] So it's to be read with excitement and anticipation. Every region named, every city that's mentioned, every border that's described is like another item of the family inheritance that has been personally given to you.
[17:55] It's God's guarantee to each people that he says, this is what you will get because it's what I have promised you. In fact, if we take a closer look at some of these names and places, we will come away confidently assured that we will have everything that God has promised.
[18:16] Look at verse 10. He talks there about all the towns of Sion, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.
[18:30] And then down at verse 12, he talks about the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned at Ashtore. Now when they begin dividing up these lands, we see that these places begin to be mentioned again.
[18:47] In fact, all the way through we keep seeing them being mentioned. So look at verse 21. He talks about all the towns and the plateau and the entire realm of Sion, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.
[18:59] He's mentioned it again, verse 27. The end of verse 27, the realm of Sion, king of Heshbon. And then down at verse 30, he starts talking about Og, king of Bashan.
[19:14] They just keep being repeated all the time. And you were asking the question, what's so special about these kings and these regions that they're being repeated? Well, keep your finger in chapter 13 and go back to chapter 2.
[19:30] Because the kings of Sion at Nog were situated on the east side of the Jordan.
[19:45] They were the first kings that they came up against before they even crossed the Jordan. And they defeated them. And people began to hear about it. In fact, the people of Jericho heard about it.
[19:57] So chapter 2, verse 10. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came up out of Egypt.
[20:07] And what you did to Zion and Og, the two kings of the Emirates east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts sank and everyone's courage failed because of you.
[20:21] For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. You see, it's a reminder to the tribes that if God has dealt with the likes of Zion and Og, these two great big kingdoms with their vast armies, do you think that there's anybody else that could stand in your way?
[20:47] A few weeks ago, Munster were playing Leinster in the Magners League final. Leinster were the team of the season. A week before, they had been crowned European champions, Heineken Cup champions.
[21:03] They were a formidable force, not a weak spot in the side. And a week later, they were to play Munster. After a bad season and everything, the odds were against them.
[21:16] But we could imagine McGahan, Munster's coach, talking to them in the changing rooms. Listen guys, the last time we played them, we won. The last time they were down here in Thoman Park, we beat them.
[21:31] Now if we've done that in the past, what's to stop you doing it again? And that's exactly what's going on here. God is saying, if I defeated the likes of Zion and Og, the greatest enemies, the strongest forces, is there anybody else that could stand in your way?
[21:53] And this is what gives us assurance and confidence, rehearsing and remembering past victories. If this is what God has done, then what can He not do?
[22:07] And there's a sense in which our future assurance is all grounded in past events. The certainty of heaven is grounded in the past events of what Christ has done.
[22:20] not future things that He's going to do. And it's only as we stand back and we look back and gaze through history and see what God has done that we have confidence and assurance to move forward.
[22:36] If Christ has taken on our greatest enemy, if Christ has disarmed him of all His weapons, if Christ has destroyed the power over of death through His resurrection, if He is raised on high and rules over all, is there any reason to think that our conquered enemy will be able to stop us reaching our inheritance?
[23:01] Nothing and no one can stand in the way of God and His people and His promises. Nothing. So that's inheritance assured.
[23:20] But what about actually receiving their inheritance? inheritance? Well, in the same way as the land was divided east of the Jordan, so it was divided west of the Jordan.
[23:32] The division of the east between those two and a half tribes is chapter 13 and then we move into chapter 14 and on and it's the division of the rest of the land. Look at 14 verse 1.
[23:45] Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eliezer, the priest, Joshua, son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them.
[23:57] Their inheritances were assigned by lot to the nine and a half tribes as the Lord had commanded through Moses. So here they are.
[24:09] But let's remember that 45 years ago they were on the verge of receiving this exact same inheritance.
[24:20] 45 years ago do you remember the stories? 12 spies were sent out one from each tribe to go and explore the land and see what it was like.
[24:34] 45 years ago and 12 of them went out. Do you remember your Sunday school song? How many were good? Two were good and you didn't sing it obviously.
[24:49] 10 were bad and 2 were good. Wasn't that it? Anyway. We'll have to ask Sandra to sing it. She knows it. Well look back at chapter 13. Numbers chapter 13.
[24:59] Because that gives us a report of what they found when they went out to explore this land 45 years previously. remember God had promised the land and then he says go out and have a look.
[25:15] And this is the report that comes back chapter 13 of Numbers verse 28. But the people who lived there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large.
[25:33] We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev. The Hittites the Jebusites and the Amorites live in the hill country and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.
[25:44] Then Caleb he was one of the good spies silenced the people before Moses and said we should go up and take possession of the land for we can certainly do it.
[26:00] But the men who had gone up with him said we can't attack these people. They are stronger than we are. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.
[26:12] They said the land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there. The descendants of Anak come from Nephilim.
[26:24] They were giants. Huge people. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them. Now we know from the rest of the story that after that 40 years after spying out the land they wandered the desert for 40 years.
[26:48] A whole generation died. They failed to get into the promised land because they failed to trust in what God had promised them. He said this land is for you but they didn't trust them to go ahead except for two spies one of whom is mentioned here in our story in Joshua chapter 14.
[27:08] Let's read about what Joshua says in verse 6 of chapter 14 in Joshua. Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal and they said to Joshua you know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me.
[27:30] That's where they gave the report. I was 40 years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land and I brought him back a report according to my convictions.
[27:42] I knew we could do it he was saying. I knew God had given to us. I knew we could go in and take the land. Verse 8 But my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people sink.
[27:54] I however followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me the land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.
[28:13] Now this is not an arrogant demand on the part of Caleb as if to say stand back guys and watch me as I march in and take the land. Not at all.
[28:24] This was an expression of faith. His confidence hadn't changed in the 40 years. He was ready to take the land then and he was ready to take the land now not because of who he was but because of what God had promised him.
[28:39] Verse 12 So he says now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard that the Anakites were there and that cities were large and fortified but is that going to stand in our way?
[28:56] No, the Lord helping me we will drive them out just as he said. You see Caleb was a man of faith. He was stepping out in faith and the only way that the people were going to receive their inheritance is faith in what God said he will do.
[29:16] In fact there's no room for arrogance or self-dependence. It all rests on God's power on his plan and on his promise. One writer put it helpfully like this it's not great faith in God but it's our little faith in a great big God.
[29:40] Faith in a great big God in what God said he would do. This is what guarantees receiving our inheritance. Faith in what God can do not what we can do.
[29:54] And nothing has changed throughout time. Whatever place we stand in history the way to receive our inheritance is always by faith.
[30:08] Jump forward in your Bible to 1 Peter. I haven't got a page number. If somebody's got it they can shout it out. 1 Peter chapter 1. 1-2-1-7 if you're using a church Bible.
[30:29] 1-2-1-7 1 Peter chapter 1. Let's pick it up in verse 3.
[30:42] We're remembering here Caleb he would go into the land by faith trusting in what God said he would do. Now listen to how this all applies to us.
[30:53] Verse 3 He says Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
[31:07] This is the past events the past victories something that Christ has done he's died he's risen again and because of that verse 4 we go into an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade heaven itself which is kept in heaven for you and here's the key verse verse 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
[31:43] Now you tell me from reading that what guarantees our inheritance it's faith in what Christ has done in the past his death and resurrection for us and his promise to shield us or to protect us until we get there.
[32:09] Our inheritance is guaranteed our destination is 100% secure. we thought at the beginning about our dreams well you know what you can lose your job you can lose your health you can lose your spouse or a friend you could lose your home you could lose your possessions you could lose all your savings and the loss of any one of those things would be terribly difficult but listen to this you cannot lose what God has promised you you cannot lose his gift of forgiveness you cannot lose his love and grace and you cannot lose what he has reserved for you in heaven in fact all the things that are truly worth living for can never be taken away from you and as we live through this life as we look forward to what's to come if we keep our eyes on what is certain it means we can live securely in this world today where nothing seems guaranteed it means that our decisions and our choices that we make today will not be made on the basis of fears and worries about the future and what happens if this happens and what happens if that happens instead there will be a freedom we will be set free to give ourselves completely and entirely to that which is guaranteed our promised inheritance and if you are a Christian then that's where you're heading but there's plenty of people who are not heading to their promised inheritance inheritance but Christians are changed that means we can give ourselves completely to our promised inheritance we can do everything we can take risks in life to see that other people get there because our future is certain we can give of our money to make sure that people that the gospel goes out because our future is certain we can give of our lives we can go moving places we can go different places because our future is certain and God is with us we don't need to be building for the here and now and building our lives full of material things and making sure that everything is okay today because all of that will one day be gone but our future is certain and it's guaranteed therefore we are free to make decisions and take choices and actions that will see other people also receive their promised inheritance we have a great promise a great God who has gone before us and nothing and no one will ever stand in his way let's pray together our father god we are truly amazed that it is not dependent on us in what we can do but it's all about what god has done for us in christ he has won the greatest battle he has secured a victory for us he has guaranteed our future inheritance therefore father change us so that we will live with eternity in mind that we wouldn't be building up storing up for the here and now but we would live for eternity give us
[36:09] as our inheritance the lost may people we know in our families and our friends come to love you and follow you may we give of our resources give of our money give of our time give of our energies because we know that the victory is sure so please father do a work in us do a work in our community do a work in our land we pray this in jesus name amen we're going to sing together how many people know this song one ralph ralph ralph knows it sandra knows it a couple others i think you kind of have to you either have to have been brought up in church or kind of be a little bit older it's kind of an oldie hymn but it's a good one and it reminds us that yeah we don't rest in ourselves we rest in the one who has gone before us the lord jesus christ we trust in him and in his name we go let's stand together just follow along if you don't know it and join in we're going to play it at a reasonable pace as well because it can drag out otherwise so we'll see how it goes we rest on thee a shield and a defender we go not for alone against the strong in thy strength praise in thy team